the address upon the letter Mr.
Starkweather had given to her. Whether she should present this letter to
Mr. Grimes at once, Helen was not sure. It might be that she would wish to
get acquainted with him before he knew her identity. Her expectations were
very vague, at best; and yet she had hope.

She hoped that through this old-time partner of her father's she might
pick up some clue to the truth about the lost money. The firm of Grimes &
Morrell had been on the point of paying several heavy bills and notes. The
money for this purpose, as well as the working capital of the firm, had
been in two banks. Either partner could draw checks against these
accounts.

When the deposits in both banks had been withdrawn it had been done by
checks for each complete balance being presented at the teller's window of
both banks. And the tellers were quite sure that the person presenting the
checks was Prince Morrell.

In the rush of business, however, neither teller had been positive of
this. Of course, it might have been the bookkeeper, or Mr. Grimes, who had
got the money on the checks. However it might be, the money disappeared;
there was none with which to pay the creditors or to continue the business
of the firm.

Fenwick Grimes had been a sufferer; Willets Starkweather had been a
sufferer. What Allen Chesterton, the bookkeeper, had been, it was hard to
say. He had walked out of the office of the firm and had never come back.
Likewise after a few days of worry and disturbance, Prince Morrell had
done the same.

At least, the general public presumed that Mr. Morrell had run away
without leaving any clue. It looked as though the senior partner and the
bookkeeper were in league.

But public interest in the mystery had soon died out. Only the creditors
remembered. After ten years they were pleasantly reminded of the wreck of
the firm of Grimes & Morrell by the receipt of their lost money, with
interest compounded to date. The lawyer that had come on from the West to
make the settlement for Prince Morrell bound the creditors to secrecy. The
bankruptcy court had long since absolved Fenwick Grimes from
responsibility for the debts of the old firm. Neither he nor Mr.
Starkweather had to know that the partner who ran away had legally cleared
his name.

But there was something more. The suspicion against Prince Morrell had
burdened the cattle king's mind and heart when he died. And his little
daughter felt it to be her sacred dut